When Kansas’ Dodge City High School basketball team made it to the 76th annual Tournament of Champions (TOC) finals, they probably didn’t realize the drill team performance would become the most memorable part of the night. But when Kansas sportswriter Sean Michael Boston uploaded the routine to his Facebook page, he set off a viral phenomenon.
After the Drill Team’s routine was picked up by the Sports in Kansas Facebook page, it earned over 1 million views!
Stealing the spotlight
While we’re pretty sure basketball was still the star of the show, the Drill Team gave fans no reason to step out between halves (regular reason high school games in Kansas are played in quarters, but championship games get two halves). Their performance was simply mesmerizing.
Judging from the comments, it’s not the first time the Dodge City Drill Team has been the highlight of the Kansas TOC finals.
“Once again, DCHS Drill Team, you won TOC. The song, costumes, choreography and voices were absolutely beautiful. So proud of each and every one of you and the hard work you put into every performance. You definitely made Dodge City proud!!!!,” gushed a proud commenter.
An angelic routine
While many drill routines are designed to hype up the crowd with fast music and thumping bass, these young women chose a cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah.” To top it off, one of the team members is singing the song live – and her voice is just lovely.
But while it’s a song that can make anyone sad, they still managed to thrill those in attendance with their mesmerizing choreography.
Part ballet, part contemporary dance, the students are dressed like angels, complete with lighted halos on their heads.
They each carry a light in their hands as well, and it draws the viewer’s eye to all the right places to see their simultaneous spins, kicks, and jumps.
Lights out
The most visually exciting part of the performance is when the lights in the auditorium go down and the LED lights the dancers are holding illuminate the room.
And NOW the music gets thumping.
Ironically, this is where their choreography truly shines, even though we can’t necessarily see their elegant footwork.
The most striking moment is when the students spread their wings – literally. Their costumes include gauzy, LED butterfly wings, giving the whole performance an unexpected fairytale vibe even though the music is no longer somber.
Credit where credit is due
Local fans were keen to give viewers outside Kansas some background information about the performance, including just how diverse and community-oriented their district is.
And the Drill Team coach Debbi Conrardy got a shout-out as well, likely from a parent.
Clearly, they’re running a great program over at Dodge City High School.
Conrardy posted her own video of the performance to YouTube, giving us a view from above that was equally enthralling.
That video has 65,000 more views!
Now you can watch the stunning performance from two different angles!
Be sure to scroll down below to see both videos – we think the view from above is even better!
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